October 15, 2007

I should have posted about this sooner, but our resident photographer, Ellen Watson, is one of the featured artists/photographers taking part in Plein Air Peconic II an exhibition featuring sites conserved by the Peconic Land Trust.

Ten plein air painters and three landscape
photographers worked in the field during August and September of 2006
to create Plein Air Peconic, a project that takes the
ongoing collaboration between local artists and the Peconic Land Trust one step further.

Ellen is passionate about this project and her work is just superb. And, I'm proud to report that at least one of her featured photographs is part of the "Wolffer Estate Throughout the Season" photo project.

I was unable to make it because I was in the Hudson Valley visiting good friends, picking apples and stopping at Alison Winery in Red Hook. From what I've heard and from the pictures I've seen, a good time was had by all. We'll be pressing the cab on the 28th. This is going to be fun.

October 12, 2007

I heard a joke last weekend that goes something like
this: "Don't wear orange on the North Fork this time of year. You might
be taken home by someone."

It's probably not the funniest joke you've heard
lately, but it aptly describes the sometimes-chaotic behavior of the
pumpkin-picking masses. All those families, dead set on finding the
perfect pumpkin, the best hay ride and the curviest corn maze, have
been clogging the major North Fork arteries for weeks and will continue
to do so through the fall. Whether you call it the harvest parade, a
parking lot or bumper-to-bumper, the traffic on Route 48 and Main Road
these days makes it hard for those of us more interested in grapes than
gourds to get to the wineries we love so much.

Of course, that's never stopped me before (though my
visits wane a bit this time of year) and it shouldn't stop you either.
The wines are just too good, especially as the weather turns cool and
we all start looking for richer (and often red) wines to drink with the
food we eat.

So what wines are worth wading your way through the droves of SUVs? Here are some of my recent fall food-friendly bottles.

Wolffer Vineyards' 2003 Estate Selection Chardonnay
($29) keeps impressing me every time I taste it. It was fermented
completely in French oak and stands out as one of best barrel fermented
chardonnays made on Long Island. The nose is toasty and layered with
ripe peaches and apricot, vanilla and marshmallows toasted over a
bonfire. Medium-to-full bodied, the stone fruit flavors are rich and
mouth-filling with subtle toasty oak, vanilla and a earthy-mineral note
as well. Perfectly balanced by acidity, there is a bright citrus-kiwi
note on a very lengthy finish. Chicken or salmon with cream sauce, or
fowl with roasted apples seem like nice foils.

If you liked their very-underrated 2001 Merlot like
I did, I can't recommend Peconic Bay Winery's 2001 Oregon Hills Reserve
Merlot ($38) enough. Winemaker Greg Gove blended 25% cabernet sauvignon
into this red that is among the best he's made. An exceedingly aromatic
nose filled my kitchen with plum, cherry, spice, and cocoa aromas. Ripe
and very Old World in style, there are some plum and cherry flavors,
but secondary flavors of tobacco, dark chocolate, and spice set this
red apart. Mature, slightly dusty tannins linger on a lengthy finish
after a soft, lush mid-palate.

It's not a new release, but Roanoke Vineyards 2004
Cabernet Sauvignon ($40) is really starting to show well. Owner Richie
Pisacano's western North Fork location allows him to ripen the king of
all red grapes more consistently-and it shows. Smoke, vanilla and burnt
sugar aromas mingle with black plum, blueberry, blackberry and Thai
basil on an ever-expanding and ever-evolving nose. The palate is rich
and flavorful, with loads of dark fruit backed by delicious black
pepper, spice, vanilla, sweet cedar and minty-basil notes. Finely
structured, the tannins are ripe and well-integrated, hinting at
potential longevity. The next time I make beef daube or pot roast, this
is what I'm drinking.

These are just three of the wines I've weaved my way
through traffic for. I'm sure you'll find many others that are worthy
of the extra effort.

And, lest I come off as a pumpkin picker hater, I'll
be hitting the pumpkin patch myself soon-with my 8-month old son in
tow. I'll be stopping for a glass of wine on my way home, too.

As you long-time readers know, I like seeing Long Island wines mentioned in the big-time, mainstream press...but I also find myself being critical of the coverage. Either the writers get their facts wrong, choose the completely wrong wineries to represent the region, or perpetuate the sort of "France and California" snobbery that I loathe so much.

But, Lettie Teague of Food & Wine Magazine gets it right in her recent story "Can Long Island Make World-Class Wines?" At least when it comes to the places she tasted, the wines she liked and the answer to that question.

My only comment would be in response to her questioning Long Island wine clubs vs. wider distribution. Might it be that wineries can simply make more money selling directly to their clubs than worrying about the out-dated, money-robbing distribution system? Do the best wineries need wider distribution when the wines sell out already?

Perhaps Long Island's future is as a boutique region, and wider distribution won't be necessary, because people will seek the wines out themselves. I know of at least a couple wineries moving in this direction.

Her "Five Long Island Favorites" are all good, though I wasn't crazy about the 2004 Lenz Gewurzt. At least not when compared to some of their past vintages.

October 11, 2007

Because my parents were in town last weekend, Nena and I were able to sneak out of the house, sans Jackson, and have dinner together for the first time in a while. It doesn't happen much these days, so we try to take full advantage when it can happen.

After calling one of our favorite places, The Kitchen - A Bistro in St. James, only to find out that they aren't open on Sunday evenings, we settled on a new-to-us place in Port Jefferson, Ruvo. We've had friends tell us good things, so we figured we'd give it a shot.

I won't go so far as to say that I'm sorry we tried it, but I'm in no hurry to go back.

We've only been there once, obviously, so doing a full review isn't fair, but I do have a few tips that I'd offer Ruvo:

Learn how to cook Veal scalloppine. It is pounded thin and cooked quickly for a reason. It's supposed to be tender. Not chewy and leathery.

If you're an Italian restaurant, you should serve pasta al dente and well-seasoned. Not mushy, without salt.

While you're at it, it'd be nice if you served that pasta in a bowl that looks nicer than the Correlle Ware cereal bowl I had in my dorm room freshman year.

Give your hostess a raise. We saw her more than we did our server. I have a feeling that we'd still be waiting for our check if not for the hostess.

On the positive side of things:

Nena loved her rigatoni with seared scallops and mushrooms

Ruvo probably has the best Long Island wine list this side of the North Fork

The bar is a great spot to have a drink before or after dinner.

Seasonally focused menu items are inventive and bring more local flavor to the menu

Before I conclude this post, I have a question for all of my blogging and/or technology addicted friends out there:

Is it ever appropriate to have your laptop out on the dinner table, open and on, during dinner at a nice restaurant? There was a woman across the dining room from us who had hers out on the table and was actively working on it throughout our dinner. Her dining companion (who we assumed to be her mother) didn't seem bothered by it, but the glow of the screen didn't really work well with the dark ambiance of the dining room.

As an admitted laptop addict, I can't imagine any situation where I'd do anything of the sort. Not even at a diner or chain restaurant. Ruvo is a nice, though not fine, restaurant. It just struck me as completely inappropriate.

Then again, maybe it bothered me so much exactly because I am an addict, and I thought it gave all of us a bad name.

October 10, 2007

Welcome to Wine Blogging Wednesday #38 hosted by Ryan and Gabriella of Catavino. The theme, as one would expect when the blog for Iberian wines is playing host, focuses on that region. More specifically, Ryan and Gabriella asked participants to choose a table wine from Portugal. Port and Madeira are off limits and they also challenged us to come up with something more interesting than Vinho Verde or Douro reds.

I have only tried a handful of Portuguese reds in my three or four years of serious wine drinking. All were okay, but nothing really grabbed me and said "pay attention, Lenn." Of course, that could be largely due to the fact that most of the wine shops within a 10-mile radius aren't that great and don't have great selections from lesser-known regions. Meaning that if it's not from France, Italy or California, you're out of luck.

But, with a little searching, I was able to come up with one wine that fit all of Ryan and Gabriella's caveats: Casa de Santar Dao Reserva 1999. I paid $24 for it.

I was planning to spend part of my morning researching this wine and the producer, so that I could offer some background. But, as I checked in with our hosts, I noticed that they tasted several wines from the same very producer, and they did all that leg work for me. Read more about Casa de Santar.

Now on to the wine itself, which we enjoyed with flank steak that I braised with homemade red wine vinegar, red wine, cumin, oregano, onions, peppers, olives and bay.

Medium garnet in the glass, the nose is earthy with dark cherry, some charred cedar and hints of dusty cocoa. On there's more some dark fruit -- cherries and blackberries -- with just a little vanilla and lots of earthy spice. Silky but with a slightly rustic edge (acidity) it was good by itself, but really worked well with food. The tannins were soft and dusty and only really noticeable on the earthy finish. Nena really enjoyed it and so did my parents, who were taking part in their very first WBW.

Overall, I enjoyed this wine, especially with food, and I wish I could get my hands on some younger vintages of this same wine. This is a wine that makes me want to explore Portuguese wines more.

October 09, 2007

My parents were here visiting us over the long Columbus Day weekend. And, as per usual, we took one day to visit their favorite wineries on the North Fork. You see, they live in Pennsylvania and the archaic liquor laws of my home state make it impossible for them to get the wines I write so much about unless they come here. The wineries can't ship to them. And the state-run liquor and wine shops don't stock them either.

So here was the back of our Jeep Cherokee as we finished up at our last stop. All told I think we had 7 cases of wine (not all of it was for my parents, but a lot of it was) plus a few other bottles picked up here and there.

And of course you can see Jackson's stroller, Nena's diaper bag, one of his toys and a few other baby-related things in this shot as well.

Parenthood brings about a great many changes in ones life. First, there's the sleepless nights and the resulting exhaustion. Then you realize that you have absolutely no free time anymore. Then you finally settle into a schedule, a groove really, where you start to feel like your life is manageable again.

And then your son learns how to crawl, and your life changes once again.

The days of sitting Jackson on the floor and being able to tend to other things are gone, folks. He's mobile now and beyond inquisitive. He's scooting all over, pulling himself up on anything (stationary or not) and it's a whole new ballgame all over again.

October 08, 2007

Hey everyone, if you're interested in making some wine with us this year, let me know by the end of the day today. Harvest might be this coming weekend as well...so if you've already said that you're "in" clear your calendar!

I'll know more tomorrow morning when I touch base with Lisa at Sannino.

October 05, 2007

John Iszard from Fulkerson Winery in the Finger Lakes sent me this picture of ready-to-pick chardonnay grapes this morning.

"This vineyard is right off Beartown Road adjacent to the winery and Route 14. Harvest is in full swing and our yields are up tremendously, with many 80 degree days for the past several weeks, it looks like a great harvest so far."

Put simply, Sannino gives you the opportunity to make your own barrel of wine, either alone or with friends. They bill themselves as a home winemaker center, which is a pretty cool idea.

They grow merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc and normally for $3500, you get a barrel of wine (23 cases of wine), bottles, corks, labels, three educational sessions and a harvest festival. Their first, biggest harvest festival is this weekend, but they are going to have a smaller one later in harvest.

That's not the cool part though.

They've let me know that LENNDEVOURS readers can get a 20% discount off this price for the 2007 vintage.

So, for a full barrel, the price is $2800, which can be split several ways:

1/2 barrel: 137 bottles for $1400

1/3 barrel: 91 bottles for $935

This includes all of the above things, and the harvest fest* in late October.

Now, I don't expect many (any?) of you to want a full, half or even third, but if you're interested on any level, let me know and I'll see if we have enough people to do something here (to make it more affordable). I'm already planning to make some wine with them, but that doesn't mean I won't do more. Shhh, don't tell Nena.

One thing to remember, however, that this is a very hands on process. Someone involved in every barrel needs to be present for at least 4 sessions: harvest/crush, press (two weeks later), racking in January, and bottling in 2008.

October 03, 2007

Sherwood House Vineyards, they of the tiny little tasting room, is known primarily for their chardonnay and — to a lesser extent — merlot. Those are the varietals they've focused on in the past and they remain the focus today.

But, as a card-carrying member of the "I Dig Cabernet Franc" club, I'm glad to see that they are bottling that variety as well.

This Sherwood House Vineyards 2004 Cabernet Franc is their second such release and is has the sorts of aromas and flavors I'm looking for in cab franc. The nose is earthy and mushroomy with a little spice, a little cocoa powder and some green-herbal hints that go nicely with the cherry an vanilla aromas.

The wine is soft and spreads out over the palate with cherry fruit accented by vanilla and spice, though it's not as earthy as the nose made me expect. The tannins are well integrated and velvety smooth. It doesn't feature the most complex palate around (I really wish it matched the nose more) this is a fine example of refined cab franc. I'm not sure that it's a great value at $24 but it's tasty nonetheless.

Grape(s): Cabernet FrancProducer: Sherwood House VineyardsAVA: North Fork of Long IslandPrice: $24Rating:
(3 out of 5 | Very Good)

Recently, the 2007 New York Food and Wine Classic named Red Barn Winery as the "New York Winery of the Year." Surprisingly, this winery is not located in the Finger Lakes, Long Island or one of the established New York wine regions. Instead, Red Barn can be found in Liverpool, a small suburb just north of Syracuse in central New York.

Being a proud resident of Syracuse, I took it upon myself to visit Liverpool one afternoon and see for myself what Red Barn is all about. The winery is located in the far end of an old horse club barn, most of which has been converted into a gift shop. Like much of Liverpool, the immediate area was a mixture of small office buildings, a neighborhood, and a couple of stores and strip malls.

Once inside, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the interior of the winery played up the old barn theme with a great deal of success. The weathered and dark wood interior, decorated with old tack and riding equipment, lent itself to an aesthetically pleasing tasting. There was plenty of room in the back for larger tastings and parties as well.

Red Barn won Winery of the Year for the numerous medals it received in the Classic, all of which were awarded to sweet wines including a ruby port made using Concord grapes, a blueberry wine, a Concord-based red blend, a blush made from Catawba, and a raspberry wine.

October 01, 2007

I miss my CSA this year. I really do. With all of the crazy goings on this spring, what with an infant and all, we forgot to sign up either with Golden Earthworm or Garden of Eve. And I miss it. I miss getting that box filled with locally grown, organic produce.

I miss pulling odd or different looking vegetables out of there and thinking to myself "What is this and what can I do with it?"

Next year we'll be back in one. Especially with Jackson eating more and more things every day. We'll want him to have the best organic produce possible.